Polaris Update 2022

COVID & Virtual Care, Debunking Myths in Family Medicine & More

Over the last six months, Family Medicine Early Career Physicians, Residents and Medical Students in our Polaris region have continued to immerse themselves into full scope family practice, while continuing to support their patients, colleagues and local/broader communities in the midst of the COVID Pandemic. In response to the rising need for virtual care, a group of Canadian medical students on the CFPC Section of Medical Students (SOMS) developed a working group and online tool to equip students with strategies and techniques to conduct these types of patient visits. The website is available at: https://somsvcwg.wixsite.com/virtualcare.
 
To illustrate the broad scope of clinical practice in which our physicians, residents, and medical students work and learn, we have developed a new spotlight of the month campaign using our social media platforms (Instagram and Facebook: @woncapolaris), highlighting the clinical and non-clinical activities of one individual in our region each month. As well, we have developed a “debunking myths in family medicine” campaign to help increase awareness on what the field of family medicine entails. Our hope is to break down common misconceptions and broaden our understanding of what family medicine has to offer.   
 
Our Polaris executive team has also continued to develop quarterly newsletters that highlight relevant topics in family medicine. Our most recent issue will be released in June 2022 and focuses on resiliency and methods to overcome burnout in the healthcare profession.  

Thank you to Dr. Ngozi Margarete Ezinwa

Earlier this year, Dr. Ezinwa stepped down from her role as Chair. We will be sad to see her go, and we offer our sincere thanks for all that she has contributed to our Polaris region. She has had an active role in mentoring our younger physicians, residents, and medical students in the Polaris region. Through her collaboration with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine she has also been a strong advocate for integrating Preventative and Lifestyle Medicine into clinical practice. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors!